Health care reform isn't brain surgery, Casey declares

Tuesday

Members of Congress know all they need to enact effective health care reform and shouldn't delay, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said Monday during an interview with the Pocono Record editorial board.

Members of Congress know all they need to enact effective health care reform and shouldn't delay, U.S. Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr., D-Pa., said Monday during an interview with the Pocono Record editorial board.

"The idea this is complicated is a myth," Casey said. "We know what works and what doesn't work. We just haven't got over the hump of 'You have to do this, insurance companies.' This idea of sitting around and studying this and scratching our heads is ridiculous."

Casey's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has approved a health bill that calls for universal coverage, requires insurance companies to cover those with expensive pre-existing health problems, and creates a government-run "public option" to compete with insurance companies.

The public option will help keep down costs by creating competition in geographic areas where a few insurance companies control the market, he said. Though the government would provide initial funding, the public option program would have to be self-sustaining, covering operating costs from revenues generated by customer premiums.

"Do I think some people will move over from private insurance to the public option? Yes," Casey said. "Do I think it will be a title wave? No."

Requiring that everyone receives health insurance also will reduce costs by creating larger pools of consumers, while sharing the burden of covering those with expensive medical conditions, he added.

Casey said his committee's bill also provides incentives for insurance companies to keep down costs by encouraging prevention and wellness. Other cost-saving incentives can be introduced later as more is learned after health care reform is implemented, he said.

"The cost of doing nothing is worse than health reform," Casey said.

Casey expects the Senate Finance Committee to approve a health bill within 10 days. Then the Finance and HELP Committee bills will be fused as the full Senate debates amendments and votes on a final version.

Casey expects the final Senate bill to include a compromise between a government-sponsored competitive health plan and a public co-op approach.

The Senate and House will have to reconcile differences in those bills before final legislation can be sent to President Barack Obama for his signature.

On other matters Casey said:

He hopes a "cap and trade" bill aimed at reducing carbon emissions and slowing climate change will be approved this year. He said legislation ahead of a December world conference on the subject in Denmark will signal that the United States is determined to fight global warming. He supports efforts to develop a technology to capture and "sequester" carbon from coal for long-term storage so it won't escape in the atmosphere and damage the ozone. Coal will be needed as the world transitions to clean alternative energy, Casey said.

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